How Women’s College Student Involvement Contributes to Their Career Aspirations and Navigation for Success in Technology Startup Organizations

<p>The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between women’s (co)curricular student involvement in college and their career outcomes in technology startups. This study focused on the ways in which past student involvement shaped women’s future career aspirations and helped them navigate their present career situations to achieve success. The study extended Astin’s Student Involvement Theory by considering how student involvement impacted career outcomes.</p> <p>The qualitative methodology incorporated nine semi-structured interviews with recent college graduates turned professional women in startups working in the San Francisco Bay Area. The interviews were transcribed and coded for themes and analyzed using textual and qualitative content analysis. While the findings were limited, the study revealed (co)curricular contributors to career aspirations included peer groups, club sports, and faculty relationships. The most powerful contributors, though not formally part of higher education itself, were parental influences and internships. Career services, with the exception of career fairs, were a non-contributor to career aspirations. As related to career navigation strategies, sorority membership, student government experience, and again, internships were important contributors to acquiring navigation skills and strategies. The participants listed general education courses as the least helpful contributor toward career navigation, although some major coursework and classes that included project or lab work, were noted as helpful.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Leadership Studies

Year dc:date.available

2015

Author dc:creator

• Doshay, Heather

Contributors dc:contributor

• Christopher Thomas
• Genevieve Negron-Gonzales
• Patricia Mitchell

• Aspirations
• Careers
• Career Services
• Student Involvement
• Women
• Higher Education
• Organizational Behavior and Theory
• Women's Studies

Repository record dc:identifier

https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/289

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.usfca.edu:diss-1288